


Blame It On The Eggnog

by vix_spes



Series: Ties of the Heart 'verse [11]
Category: Whitechapel (TV)
Genre: Christmas, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-29
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-09-13 03:15:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9104266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vix_spes/pseuds/vix_spes
Summary: Christmas at the Miles household is a bit different this year to last...





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [slightlytookish](https://archiveofourown.org/users/slightlytookish/gifts).



Chandler couldn't help but cringe as a particularly screeching burst of laughter cut across the rest of the ambient noise just as he reached the midpoint of the stairs. Oh god, Judy's sister and it sounded as though she'd been hitting the drink hard. He paused where he was, wondering if he could sneak back upstairs and hide for a bit longer and say that one of the children hadn't wanted to go to sleep. Unfortunately, before he could do precisely that, he was spotted by Ed who called out to him, instantly scuppering any chances Chandler had of escaping and drawing the attention of the person that he wanted to avoid in the process. Seeking safety in numbers, he headed towards his team, hoping that Meg would shield if they were joined by a certain someone.  
  
It was all rather different from last year's celebrations with the Miles family although, to be fair, he still had that to come. This year, Judy and Miles had decided that they were going to throw a big party on the 22nd December for friends and family followed by a family outing to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park before the quieter traditional family celebrations started on Christmas Eve. After joining them the previous year, Chandler had been invited to spend Christmas with the Miles' and had surprised both himself and Miles by accepting the invitation without hesitation. That was before he knew about the party though and the Winter Wonderland trip though.  
  
He'd already agreed to spending Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day with them and had tried to politely decline the invitation for the extra two events but Judy was ruthless and not above using her children to make Chandler do what she wanted. Miles was no use whatsoever and had simply watched on approvingly as Judy steamrollered over his boss. Chandler had convinced himself that it wouldn't be too bad, that he would have his team there to make things more bearable and, if worst came to the worst, he could hide away with the children.  
  
And then, of course, Judy's sister had announced that she would be attending although, much to Chandler's intense relief, she would only be present for the party. He didn’t know what it was about him that made him so apparently irresistible but, if he ever found out, he was changing it immediately. All in all, between her trying to attach herself to him like a human octopus and Kent staring at him constantly, Chandler was feeling rather unnerved.  
  
As a result, Chandler found himself hitting the eggnog rather harder than intended. It was the only thing that would make the evening bearable between Ed spouting what seemed like every single fact he'd ever learned about Christmas, a slightly tipsy Kent making moon eyes at him and Judy's sister becoming increasingly handy as she used the excuse of handing around food and drink to brush up against him as often as possible. He could see the disapproving glances that Meg kept sending him but he resolutely ignored both them; he was a grown man and he could do what he liked.  
  
What he also failed to notice were the worried glances that Judy was throwing in his direction. The eggnog fell under Miles' purview - one of the few things that did for this particular event - and he had a tendency to make it rather stronger than most people were expecting. It didn't help that the spices Miles had used masked the taste of the alcohol, leaving it rather deceptive. Indeed, it was only when Chandler was on his fourth glass and he was not only starting to lose the sensation in his fingers and finding the words that he wanted was becoming slightly more problematic. Still, as the drink was making the evening rather more tolerable, Chandler didn't really see the need to stop drinking and soon started on his fifth. It was at this point that a rather sheepish Miles joined the team and was the recipient of identical glares from both Meg and Judy as he tried to subtly extract the now half-full fifth glass from Chandler's hand, who was gesticulating wildly in an attempt to prove a point to Buchan.  
  
Of course, it was at this precise moment that Judy's sister, confidence buoyed by alcohol, decided to take her chances and gave Chandler's arse a not so surreptitious grope. Completely taken by surprise and mid-gesture, Chandler managed to throw the remains of his eggnog not just over Judy's carpet but all over himself, utterly drenching his shirt in alcoholic egg mixture. However, courtesy of the previous four glasses, Chandler didn't do anything other than look at himself in stupefaction. Seeing Kent's eyes glaze over and a predatory gleam appear in his sister-in-law’s gaze, Miles stepped in to avoid his boss and friend being traumatised.  
  
"Let's get you out of here, Joe. You need a shower and a change of clothes then I think the fish probably need feeding..."

**Author's Note:**

> If you would prefer to comment on LJ, you can do so [here](http://vix-spes.livejournal.com/263345.html)


End file.
